How To Use The Piano In Logic Pro | Best 3 Ways

Although challenging, learning to use a digital audio workstation (DAW) can be extremely rewarding. Whether you’re an aspiring music producer or you’re a songwriter who wants to record songs and demos at your home studio, Apple’s Logic Pro can be an excellent tool in your creative journey.

DAWs can do so much more than merely capturing your vocals and guitars. The included virtual instruments and samples allow you to emulate anything from acoustic pianos and strings to complex and quirky synthesized sounds. One of the advantages of Logic Pro over other popular DAWs is its extensive library of stock plugins and VSTs. Among the available instruments in Logic’s arsenal, virtual piano VSTs are widely praised for providing artists with authentic and industry-standard quality.

Navigating through Logic Pro’s menus as a newbie can be overwhelming. In this post, I’ll give you a step-by-step guide on different ways you can access the piano in Logic Pro, different methods to create tracks, and how to edit what you record.

Getting Started: Opening A Software Instrument Track

Once you open a new project in Logic Pro, the app will immediately ask you to choose a track type. If not, you can press the little “+” button from the top-left corner of the track header area to add a new track.

From the pop-up window, go ahead and choose MIDI Software Instrument as your track type. You can choose a virtual instrument under the Details section before you create your track. However, Logic allows you to change it after adding your track. For now, leave it as it is. Generally, you have two options for booting up a piano sound for your new MIDI track.

1. You can directly open either a native or a third-party software instrument. Here’s how you do it:

•  Select your track and click the little “i” in a circle from the top-left corner of Logic’s workstation to open the Inspector channel strip.
•  Either open a stock software instrument or navigate to the bottom of the list and hover your pointer on “AU Instruments” to choose a third-party VST.

Among Logic’s stock virtual instruments, “Vintage Electric Piano” can be a good option. It simulates the sound of various Rhodes and Wurlitzer pianos as well as the sound of the Hohner Electra Piano.

You can also install third-party VSTs to your library to expand your options. One of the best free piano software instruments is SpitFire’s Soft Piano plugin. In another post, I have explained everything you need to know about installing and using the SpitFire Soft Piano in Logic Pro.

2. Another option for loading up a piano sound is to choose one from Logic’s library of premade samples. Logic offers a plethora of ready-to-go presets that cover a bunch of sounds, including famous acoustic pianos. Here’s how you can use one of Logic’s presets:

•  Press “Y” on your keyboard or click the button on the top-left corner of your screen to open Logic’s Library window.
•  Select “Piano” and choose one of the presets.

As shown in the screenshot above, Logic offers a wide range of piano samples; from samples coupled with pads to popular acoustic models like Steinway and Yamaha grand pianos. If you see a little arrow pointing down in front of a sample, that means you have not downloaded that preset yet. You can click the arrow button to download and install each preset for free.

Now that you have loaded up a software instrument that emulates the sound of a piano, it’s time to capture a track. Logic Pro gives you multiple ways to do so. Let’s go through each one by one.

Using A MIDI Keyboard Controller

The most common way to create MIDI tracks, especially for instruments like the piano, is to use a MIDI keyboard controller. Short for Musical Instrument Digital Interface, MIDI controllers often come with a piano-like keybed that allows you to trigger different notes on your DAW. Typically, the keys on a MIDI keyboard controller are sensitive to velocity, allowing you to control the loudness and other characteristics of each note depending on how much pressure you apply on a key.

Most MIDI controllers are pretty straightforward to set up; you just plug your device into your Mac through a USB cable and it should be ready to go. If you have trouble connecting your MIDI device to your computer, click here to learn more about how you can troubleshoot it.

Once you connect your MIDI, select your track and click the little “R” button to arm your track for record when you press play.

If you don’t have a MIDI controller yet, you can check out my post on 5 of the best MIDI controllers for beginners. If you’re an experienced piano player and you’re looking for a device that resembles your instrument the most, check out these 4 MIDI controllers with weighted keys.

Using Logic Pro’s Musical Typing

If you don’t have a MIDI Controller, you can use your computer’s keyboard to trigger notes for your virtual instrument track. Obviously, you cannot control many parameters on a computer keyboard, namely the velocity. However, it can prove useful for quickly capturing an idea or demoing a melody.

The Musical Typing is a built-in feature in Logic that allows you to temporarily turn your Mac’s keyboard into a MIDI controller. Here’s how you can turn it on:

•   Click “Window” from the menu bar at the very top.
•  Select “Show Musical Typing.”

Alternatively, you can use Logic’s key command, which is “Command + K,” to quickly open and close Musical Typing.

Using The Editor Window To Draw MIDI

Last but not least, the Editor Window in Logic Pro allows you to use a piano roll to draw out MIDI notes on a grid, but that’s not all. Even if you use a MIDI keyboard, you’d often find yourself in the Editor Window to tweak and edit the track’s MIDI information to achieve desirable results. The piano roll in the editor window allows for manipulating, programming, and automating MIDI notes.

Control-click anywhere on the grid in front of your software instrument track and select “Create New MIDI Region.” Then, press “E” on your keyboard to open the Editor Window.

Here, you can use your pointer to add, remove, or rearrange MIDI notes on a piano grid. From the Function menu, you have tools that allow you to make MIDI tracks sound more natural in Logic.

In another post, I have explained everything you need to know about using the piano roll in Logic Pro.

if you need more help to use Logic Pro, you can check out my Free 6 Pillars To Learn Logic Pro Faster guidebook for a more linear approach to learning music production, mixing, and mastering.